NON URGENT or ROUTINE APPOINTMENTS

We offer nurse appointments from 8.00am most days and GP appointments are available from 8.30am every day.

We also have early afternoon appointments every day and offer late appointments up until 6.00pm every day.

We do a mixture of pre-bookable appointments up to two weeks in advance and a number of ‘book on the day’ appointments.

If you are unable to keep an appointment please cancel so it can then be given to another patient. Patients who persistently miss their appointments without any notice of cancellation may be asked to find another surgery.

OUT OF HOURS SERVICE

The out of hours service provides urgent medical cover to our patients when the practice is closed, from 6.30pm to 8.00am every day. This service also applies to Weekends and Bank Holidays.

If you feel you require urgent medical attention outside of our normal hours please ring: (01685) 875906 or 872006.

MAKING APPOINTMENTS

Same Day Appointments

Can only be made by telephone or in person.

Pre Booked Appointments

These are available up to three weeks in advance for morning, afternoon or evening surgeries. These can be made by telephone, in person or online.

Book Appointments Online

Our My Health Online service can be used to book or cancel appointments online.

If you wish to register to use My Health Online please ask any of our receptionists who will guide you through the process. You will need to provide a current email address.

Emergency Appointments

If you feel you need to be seen urgently on the same day and there are no appointments left please inform the receptionist that it is urgent. There is an emergency surgery every morning and afternoon; the emergency doctor will ring you to make a suitable appointment. Please supply the receptionist with a brief summary of the problem so the doctor can prioritise the appointment appropriately.

Cancelling Appointments

Please ensure you cancel any appointment that is no longer required. There are hundreds of wasted appointments each month, with both the doctors and nurses, due to patients not attending and not cancelling appointments. Please see the latest poster, located in reception, for accurate figures.

TELEPHONE TRIAGE

If you wish to speak to a doctor by telephone for their advice, the receptionist will ask for your telephone number and a brief reason for the call. You can request a particular doctor to ring you back and will be given a day and approximate time.

HOME VISITS

If you are too ill to attend surgery you can request the doctor to visit you. We appreciate that serious illness cannot be predicted, but for non-urgent cases please ring before 10.30am so that the doctors’ visits can be arranged.

If the problem is urgent please make this clear to the receptionist. For all house calls you will be asked to give brief details and your telephone number. Please try to be reasonable in your request for a home visit as our doctors typically see five patients in the surgery in the same time it takes to do a single home visit.

For this reason, we ask our patients to come to the surgery if at all possible.

Lack of transport should not be a reason for a home visit, transport could be arranged from a neighbour, family member or local taxi service.

ACCIDENTS AND EMERGENCIES

Whatever the day or time, if you or someone else experiences severe chest pain, loss of blood or suspected broken bones, go to your nearest Accident & Emergency Department or call 999.

Accident and Emergency Departments are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can assess serious injuries and provide emergency treatment.